I was asked to write a short piece on why we call the genre “Yuri” as opposed to the publisher-generated “Girls Love.” (Long story short, “Yuri” keeps the connection between the genre and lesbian culture.) Read Why We Call It Yuri on Anime Feminist.

Other News

Are you looking for women in comics to hire, follow, or support? Are you a woman in comics looking to promote your work? Take a look at the #visiblewomen hashtag begin by Kelly Sue DeConnick on Twitter. Priscilla Frank wrote a great piece on Huffington Post about the hashtag – and why it’s stupid that the comics industry is still using tired excuses for not “being able to find” women to hire in The Comic Book Industry Officially Has No Excuse Not To Hire Women.

The folks at Asia Rising have a very interesting article about the five out Japanese LGBTQ assembly members, who are working together to raise LGBTQ awareness and push forward equality under the law in Japan.

Looking for good summer reading? OZY has 5 Lesbian Literary Novelsyou shouldn’t miss! Ignore the Beavis & Butthead intro and just nab and borrow the titles from your library. ^_^;

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find.Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Pixiv Yuri manga Deaike Site de Imouto to Deau Hanashi(出会い系サイトで妹と出会う話) about a woman who signs up for a meetup on a lesbian site only to discover the woman she’s come to meet is her younger sister, is being collected into a volume.

Comic Natalie reports on Spirits magazine, in which a new “rap Yuri” manga, Catcher in the Rhyme (キャッチャー・イン・ザ・ライム) will be beginning this month in issue 34. Comic Natalie also says that Yuri “comedy,” Sekai de Ichiban Oppai ga suki! (世界で一番おっぱいが好き！) will be starting up in Comic Cune‘s September issue, but I think imma pass on that one. ^_^;

Yuri VN News

From the horse’s mouth – Josh Kaplan, creator of Highway Blossomstweeted, “recently started @vnstudioelan just for making yuri VN’s; our first two games will be formally announced in September.” Check out Studio Elan’s Twitter account for character designs and news.

Other News

Kat Callahan continues to take a deep look at NTR: Netsuzou Trap anime at Anime-Now. I still don’t agree that it is worth watching, but I think her perspective is valid and important. (It comes down to, I think, completely different ways of interacting with the story. It’s all “right” and no one is “wrong” here.) Kat is very clear that this is her interpretation, and I agree with the abuse angle, but, exactly as it is in Citrus, I do not think the apparent abuse is anything but a fetishy “here’s why she’s so creepy” handwave, and not ever meant to be dealt with honestly in the narrative.

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find.Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

I’ve been all about Legend of Korra: Turf Wars this week, and this Tumblr post by creator Bryan Konietzko has stoked the flames considerably….we’re getting this beautiful Korrasami figurine! (Bryan, adorably, uses the fan term.) Keep your eyes peeled for pre-order links. (And check out the Nerdist article he links to. There is is again.. “as a couple.” /qvell/)

Comic Natalie reports on a comic which I think of hitting as some kind of self-referential queerish manga event horizon, Yurizuki-kun to Yurizikizuki-kun, (百合好きくんと百合好き好きくん), about a boy who is a Yuri fanboy and the boy who falls for him. Okay, we’re done now, just give me more lesbian stories please. ^_^;

JK Parkin on Smashpages has news out of San Diego Comic-Con that IDW will be publishing a Jem & The Holograms comic anthology. Comics anthologies are a great way to become familiar with a series. It’s true one sacrifices continuity and story a lot of the time, but anthologies are a great way to get to know the characters’ inner lives (and often fanon tropes about them!)

…for one thing, it means that Marvel–and DC too! – had better start paying attention to new readers instead of pandering to the dwindling ranks of AARP-card carrying pap-pap Bronze Agers. I mean, I know it’s hard to move beyond your own viewpoint, but business is business.

So, wow for My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Kabi Nagata-sensei and Seven Seas…and look at that, stuff for and by adult women are ruling the sales chart.

Ogata Megumi-san posted a squee-worthy series of tweets this week, in which she showed herself and Katsuki Masako (Michiru’s original voice actress) recording Moon Revenge for the Sailor Moon 25th anniversary. Moon Revenge is from the Sailor Moon R movie and the original recording was by the voice actresses of the 5 Inner Senshi. Having Ogata-san and Katsuki-san as part of a new recording has me fangirling. It’s a great song, I can’t wait to hear this version!

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find.Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

It is always a good day on Okazu when I can announce another new collection by Takemiya Jin-sensei. And, as she’s a monster workaholic, today is a very good day. ^_^ Mabushisa no Mukou Soku (まぶしさの向こう側), will be out this week, with collected shorts from Comic Yuri Hime.

Also from Comic Yuri Hime, the first collected volume of Watashi no Yuri ha Oshigoto Desu! (私の百合はお仕事です! ) hits shelves next month. Along with being behind reading the magazine, I will get to add that I’m also behind on adding the manga to the Yuricon Store, yay! (;_;) I’ll do my best to keep up, I promise!

Volume 2 of After Hours (アフターアワーズ) will be hitting shelves this week in Japan, and to celebrate, Comic Natalie reports that they are doing an open call for illustrations. The application ticket will be attached to the book’s obi at retail outlets. Look for Volume 2 in English later this year from Viz.

I’ve been binge re-watching Steven Universe again, because it heals the holes the daily news burns in my soul. It’s a bit old, but I discovered that in 2016, there was a Steven Universe musical panel at San Diego Comic Con and I spent a full couple of hours watching and rewatching live performances from it. I want to share this one with you especially. It’s not just that it’s a hoot to hear the voice actors singing, but this one was remixed with images of the audience singing along and clips of animation. I’m going to be really honest, when Pearl sings, “We were amazed to find your beauty and your worth. We will protect your earth…and we will protect you” and I see all those lovely otaku, I get really weepy and angry at the shitty situation we’re in right now. If we don’t protect this Earth, Pearl won’t be there to do it and I want these happy otaku to have a safe and beautiful home. It made me start calling my Congressmen again. It sucks, but it’s up to us. Call, write, fax, whatever, however, but get out there and contact your congresspeople.

Anyway, here is the live version of We Are the Crystal Gems, Full Version, from SDCC 2016. (And check out Michaela Dietz (Amethyst) and Zach Callison (Steven) videoing it it on their phones. ^_^

Lesbian website Gachirezu (gachirezu in Japanese is similar to flesbian in English, like not”real” lesbian. It’s meant as a joke, kind like Okazu is) now has a page for serialized lesbian webcomics in Japanese with links to their artists on Twitter.

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find.Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Kuzushiro’s girl-falls-for-sister-in-law series Ani no Yome to Kurashiteimasu (兄の嫁と暮らしています。) is going to Volume 3 which will hit shelves at the end of July. Toribaku-sempai Nani Kakeru? (鳥獏先輩なに賭ける?) by Kuzushiro hits shelves in late July.

Nishi Akane’s girl-gamer story Itsuka Minoreba (いつかみのれば) Volume 1 has been out since May, but I missed putting that here. My apologies. tMnR’s version of the girl-falls-for-sister-in-law story, Tatoe to dokanu keda toshitemo (たとえとどかぬ糸だとしても) is also available.

Kodansha also announced the Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, an English-language translation of the 20th anniversary 10-volume set of the Sailor Moon manga with the new cover art with metallic ink and “holographic” images, French flaps (which I am of two minds on, as they reproduce bookcover flaps but for, like, no actual reason) and a larger trim. These are absolutely gorgeous. I have actually stored all the other versions of the Japanese manga and have only these out on my shelves, they are so pretty.

Kotaku has a relatively insightful (if, strikingly obvious to some folks,) discussion of the problems scanlators face when they decide that the work they do is work and deserves to be paid, in Manga Pirates Are Having Trouble Going Legit. If you think about it, it’s a bit like a gang who, after trashing your store repeatedly, turns around and asks you to hire them legitimately as security. No one is going to trust people who destroyed their business.

Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find.Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Erica Friedman is the Founder of Yuricon, ALC Publishing and Yurikon LLC, Social Media Without Delusion. LGBTQ and Geek Marketing Consultant. Proud to be a MLS.
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Please do not email or comment asking for or posting links to scanlations or fansubs. Okazu readers overwhelmingly support the artists, writers and publishers of Yuri by buying anime and manga series in English and Japanese.

In addition, any comment that contains the word "objective" or "objectivity" is subject to rejection. This is a review blog - it's all personal opinions, all the time. Mine and yours.